Welcome dear students! Today we are going to learn about South America from Class 7 Social Science.
This lesson introduces us to the location, area, physical features, rivers, lakes, climate, natural vegetation, wildlife, agriculture, animal husbandry, population composition, race, distribution, and density of the South American continent. By the end of this lesson, you will understand its location, extent, and geographical conditions. You will know its rivers and lakes. You will understand its diverse climate, animals, and natural vegetation. You will learn about the uniqueness of its agriculture and animal rearing. And finally, you will know about its population, racial composition, distribution, and density.
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South America is the fourth largest continent in the world. When Christopher Columbus reached the continent around 1498, he mistook it for India, and called the natives as the Red Indians. Later the Europeans, specifically the Spanish and Portuguese, flooded the continent. South America is a unique landmass formed by the Andes mountains and the Amazon river. It is the world’s largest producer of coffee. It is often called the Land of Grasslands.
A large part of the South American continent lies mainly in the Southern Hemisphere. The Equator and the Tropic of Capricorn pass through the continent. It is triangular in shape, broader in the north and tapers towards the south. Its latitudinal and longitudinal extent is 12 degrees North to 56 degrees South latitudes and 35 degrees West to 81 degrees West longitudes. The continent of South America is located in the Western Hemisphere. The continent is surrounded by water bodies on all sides except in the north. In the north, the Panama Canal separates South America from North America. The Caribbean Sea borders the north, the Atlantic Ocean in the east and north-east, the Pacific Ocean lies in the west and the south is bordered by the icy waters of Antarctica. The land area of South America is about 178.4 lakh square kilometers and it is 5.42 times bigger than India. There are thirteen countries in this continent. Brazil is the largest and French Guyana is the smallest country. All the countries of South America have a coastal line except Bolivia and Paraguay. Chile is a linear country.
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Let us note some interesting facts. The Panama Canal, opened in 1912, is the major ocean route between North America and South America. Argentina and Brazil are famous for football. In 2020, the Olympic Games was held in Tokyo, Japan. Venezuela is famous for modelling and designing. Sao Paulo is famous as the city of skyscrapers.
South America has spectacular topographical features. It has mountains with snow covered peaks and dense equatorial forests. The continent has rich fertile plain lands as well as dry wasteful deserts. The major physical divisions of the continent are: one, the Andes Mountains. Two, the Eastern highlands. Three, the Central lowlands. Four, the Western Coastal Plains.
The Andes Mountains is the longest mountain chain in the world, running to a distance of 6440 kilometers long along the Pacific coast. Many earthquakes and volcanoes are found in the belt due to its presence in the Pacific ring of Fire. Mount Aconcagua at 6960 meters on the Argentina-Chile border is the highest peak in the mountain range. The Andes are rich in minerals like copper and Tin.
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The Eastern High Lands region comprises two distinct high lands. First, the Guyana high lands, or shield, in the north. Second, the Brazilian high lands, or shield, in the south. These are made up of old rocks like the Deccan Plateau of India. River Churn, a tributary of Orinoco, has formed the world’s highest waterfall, Angel Falls, at 974 meters in the Guyana Shield.
The Central lowlands lie between the Andes Mountains and Eastern high lands. These consist of large river basins. They are the Amazon, the Orinoco and La Plata river basins. The Amazon basin is the most notable and largest among them.
The West Coastal Plains are narrow plains found between the Pacific Ocean and the Andes mountain range. The west coast is almost indented because the Andes Mountains rise steeply from the coast. Narrow coastal plains are found in central Chile and Colombia along the west coast. The coast line is indented, meaning it is broken. Many big cities lie in the coastal plains. There are many islands in the southern part.
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The Amazon, Parana, Paraguay, Uruguay and the Orinoco are the important river systems of South America. The Amazon river at 6450 kilometers rises in the Andes. It is the longest in South America and the largest river in the world. It is navigable to a great extent along its course. The Orinoco is another important river system. The combined river system of Parana, Paraguay and Uruguay is called La Plata.
Looking at the map of South American rivers, we can trace the vast network of waterways. The Amazon flows eastward into the Atlantic Ocean, fed by major tributaries like the Negro, Jurua, Purus, Madeira, and Tapajos. In the north, the Orinoco flows through Venezuela and Colombia. In the south, the Parana, Paraguay, and Uruguay converge to form the La Plata system. The Sao Francisco, Araguaia, Parnaiba, and Magdalene rivers are also clearly marked, showing how water drains from the highlands to the oceans.
Lake Titicaca in Bolivia is the highest lake in the world and an important navigable lake of South America.
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South America has a wide variety of climate. The difference in the climate of this continent is due to its proximity to the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. The Equator passes through the northern part of the continent and Tropic of Capricorn pass through the southern part. The land mass within the two latitudes falls in the Tropical Zone. The broader part in the north is under the influence of Tropical climate. Hence, the climate here is hot and wet. The Amazon basin experiences hot and wet equatorial climate due to the presence of the Equator. The region experiences convectional rainfall almost every day. Heavy rainfall favours dense forest in this region. The Amazon basin has thick forest which is the home of Flora and fauna, reptiles, birds and monkeys are common in this belt.
As defined in your textbook, when water bodies evaporate from the heat of the sun early in the morning, form clouds and rain heavily on the same day, it is called convectional rains. The convectional rains that fall in the equatorial region are known as Afternoon rains, tea break rains and 4 O’ clock rains.
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The Andes mountain ranges run almost the full length of the western margin of the continent. On-shore winds bring rain to the windward side. While the east of the Andes gets low rainfall. This is the rain-shadow region and the temperate desert belt of South America. Atacama desert in Chile is the driest area on the Earth. It has no rainfall for the last 200 years.
The Equatorial region of the Amazon basin has dense tropical rainforest. It is the world’s largest rainforest, locally called Selvas. Evergreen trees of hard wood with dense canopy of trees are found here. Mahogany and Ebony are the valuable trees found in this area. The rubber trees found here are used to extract latex, or Rubber milk. On either side of the equatorial forests, grass lands are found. These are known as Llanos in the Orinoco river basin and as Campos in the Brazilian high lands (Venezuela). The south eastern coast of Brazil has tropical deciduous forest. South of Gran Chaco region in Argentina and Uruguay is covered by temperate grass lands to a large extent known as Pampas. The plateau of Patagonia has temperate desert having scrub vegetation on the western side of the Andes, and the central region has mixed type of forests.
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South America has a variety of wild animals, birds and reptiles. South America is known as the Continent of Birds. The condor is the biggest bird in the world. Rhea is a large bird which cannot fly, like the Ostrich in Australia. Spider monkey, squirrel and monkeys live in the trees of the Amazon forests. Anaconda is the largest reptile and it lives in the rain forest. Puma and Jaguar are large animals of prey which feed on monkeys and smaller animals. The Llama and Alpaca are animals similar to camels as they have long necks. These are domesticated by the native inhabitants for daily works. Galapagos Islands are well known for their giant tortoise. There are flies and insects which cause sleeplessness. The Amazon River has varieties of fish such as the sting ray, electric fish and Piranha, the most dangerous fish in the world. Rivers also have crocodiles.
Cultivable land in South America is limited. Barely 10 percent of its area is under cultivation. The main regions of cultivation are the Pampas in Argentina and Uruguay, parts of Brazilian highlands and east coast and central Chile. Most important crops of South America are Maize, wheat, Rice, Coffee, Cotton, and Sugarcane. Maize is a native crop of South America and it is the chief food crop in the warm tropical region. Wheat is grown in the cooler temperate regions in Argentina and Chile. Wheat is also exported from Argentina. Potato is widely grown in the Andes region. Rice is cultivated all along the Brazilian coast.
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Brazil is called the Coffee pot of the world. The coffee region of the country of Ethiopia in Africa is the origin of the coffee crop called kafa or coffee. There are thousands of coffee plantations in Brazil. Rio de Janeiro is called as Coffee port of the world. Among non-food crops South America is an important producer of coffee and cocoa. Brazil is the world’s largest producer of coffee. Columbia and Ecuador are also important producers of coffee. Cocoa is also produced on a large scale in the coastal regions of Brazil. Cotton is grown in drier slopes of Andes and is exported to other countries. South America is an important producer of sugarcane. Brazil is the leading producer of sugarcane and it is second largest producer in the world.
Grasslands of Pampas are ideal for livestock rearing. Livestock includes mainly horses, pigs, sheep and cows. Argentina was once the biggest exporter of beef in the world. The pampas are fine cattle grazing areas for Beef. Dairy cattle grazing pastures are richer where as poorer pastures on the Patagonian plains and mountains are meant for sheep rearing. There are cowboys called gauchos who rear the Cattle. The best fishing grounds are located in the coast of the Pacific Ocean. The Peruvian and Chilean coasts are the most important fishing grounds. Mostly it is used for industrial purposes and not for food. Lake Titicaca and river Amazon are important places of fresh water fishing.
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The inhabitants of South America belong to mixed racial groups. After the arrival of Europeans in search of gold, they settled here and brought slaves from Africa to work in the plantations. The inter-marriage among these groups formed mixed races. There are three major races in South America. South America registers a much higher percentage of urbanization at 80 percent than any other country in the world average of 47 percent. The highest Urban population is in Uruguay at 93 percent and the lowest in Guyana at 36 percent.
Looking at the population density map, we can see that the dense forests of Amazon, Andean Mountains, deserts of Atacama and Patagonia are very Sparsely inhabited. Most of the population is concentrated along the coasts in big cities and ports like Buenos Aires, Rio de Janeiro, Valparaiso, Sao Paulo. Because the population in South America is mainly concentrated in Coastal areas but the central continent is less concentrated, it is called the Hollow Continent. South America registers birth rate similar to the world’s average of 21 per 1000. But the death rate is 6 per 1000, which is less than the world’s average of 9 per 1000. Therefore, the rate of natural increase of population in South America is higher than the world’s average.
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Let us quickly review the new terms from this chapter: Red Indians, Andes, Ring of fire, Equador, Guyana, Orinoco, Amazon, La Plata, Gran chaco, Galapagos, Hornos, Parana, Paraguay, Uruguay, Titicaca, Warm Ocean current, Cold Ocean current, Selvas, Latex, Compos, Pampas, Piranha, Gauchos, Patagonia, Atacama.
Now let us solve the exercises together to prepare for your exams.
Part One: Fill in the Blanks. Question one: The locals of the continent of South America are called Red Indians. Question two: The largest country in South America is Brazil. Question three: World's highest waterfall found in South America is Angel Falls. Question four: World's highest lake is Lake Titicaca. Question five: The grassland of South America is called Llanos, Campos, and Pampas.
Part Two: Answer the following. Question six: Explain the location and Extent of South America. Answer: A large part of South America lies in the Southern Hemisphere. The Equator and Tropic of Capricorn pass through it. It is triangular, broader in the north and tapering south. Its latitudinal extent is 12 degrees North to 56 degrees South and longitudinal extent is 35 degrees West to 81 degrees West. It is in the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Caribbean Sea in the north, Atlantic Ocean in the east and north-east, Pacific Ocean in the west, and Antarctica in the south. The Panama Canal separates it from North America. Its area is 178.4 lakh square kilometers, 5.42 times bigger than India, with thirteen countries.
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Question seven: Mention the important grass lands of South America. Answer: The important grasslands are the Llanos in the Orinoco river basin, the Campos in the Brazilian highlands, and the Pampas in Argentina and Uruguay.
Question eight: Name the important plants and wild animals of South America. Answer: Important plants include Mahogany, Ebony, and rubber trees in the Selvas, along with tropical deciduous trees and temperate scrub vegetation. Important wild animals include the Condor, Rhea, Spider monkey, squirrel, monkeys, Anaconda, Puma, Jaguar, Llama, Alpaca, giant tortoise, flies and insects, sting ray, electric fish, Piranha, and crocodiles.
Question nine: Name the important cities with high density of population in South America. Answer: The important high-density cities and ports are Buenos Aires, Rio de Janeiro, Valparaiso, and Sao Paulo.
Let us look at the activities to reinforce your learning. Activity one: On the outline map of South America mark the countries and their capitals, important mountains, rivers, lakes, grass lands with the help of good Atlas. Activity two: Make a list of important plants, animals and birds found in South America and collect their pictures.
Thank you for listening! Keep revising and practicing. Goodbye! [CHAPTER_COMPLETE]